Aid Charity Attacks Tories After Minister Banned from Climate Talks

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The international poverty relief charity Christian Aid has attacked the Tory-led government for โ€œbanningโ€ climate change minister Amber Rudd from attending the crucial Lima talks on climateย change.

Michael Gove, theย Conservative chief whip,ย ordered the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) minister to stay in Britain to attend a vote in the Commons on unrelated counter-terrorย measures.

โ€œWithdrawing the minister from these negotiations at such a late stage suggests that [the government] is not taking these negotiations seriously enough,โ€ said Dr Alison Doig, principle climate change advisor at Christianย Aid.

Christian Aid has now urged the government to reconsider Ruddโ€™s absence from the climate summit.ย Christian Aid rarely attacks the government directly and is well known as a moderate NGO โ€“ rather than part of the ‘green blob’ attacked by Owen Paterson after he was sacked as environmentย secretary.ย 

One yearย left

Doig added: โ€œWe are dismayed that the climate minister will not be part of these key negotiations in Lima. These talks are supposed to lay the groundwork for a global climateย deal.

โ€œWith just one year left before that deal is supposed to be signed and sealed, and just one year since devastating floods hit the UK, action on climate change should be at the top of the governmentโ€™sย agenda.โ€

Rudd was originally due to fly out last week to attend the summit. Ed Davey,ย energy and climate change secretary,ย will only attend the final week ofย talks.

Ed Miliband,ย the Labour party leader, yesterday accused David Cameron of โ€œdither and denialโ€ when it comes to climate change. Writing in the Independent he said the Conservative party has abdicated its responsibilities and made Britain a laggard on climateย change.

Vicky Wyatt,ย Greenpeace UK energy and climate campaigner, toldย the Guardian: โ€œThe Tory climate change ministerโ€™s no-show at the Lima summit is yet another sign that David Cameronโ€™s commitment to this vital issue isย wavering.

โ€œIf David Cameron wants the public to trust him with the countryโ€™s security, he should dispatch his climate minister to Lima atย once.โ€

@kylamandel

Photo: Creativeย Commons

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Kyla is a freelance writer and editor with work appearing in the New York Times, National Geographic, HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Outside. She is also a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists.

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